A theme in Amish life is to live by example, not by words. Expressions of sentiments are rare, not necessarily because the Amish don’t have deep feelings, but because it seems worldly to air one’s emotions. Words are not cheap to the Amish. “Where water is deepest, it is stillest,” best sums it up.

Threaded throughout many Amish sayings is a great emphasis on filtering one’s speech. Careless talk and gossip are frowned upon. “Think ten times, talk once,” or “What one is ashamed to do one should be ashamed to say.”

Here’s one that makes you wonder about who coined it and why: “A woman’s tongue is the last thing about her that dies.”

Sign up here to be the first to get exclusive news delivered to your inbox monthly. New books, cover reveals, coupon codes, giveaways, first-look excerpts and much more.

Did you know that the Amish have virtually a zero percent divorce rate?

The Amish believe that their marriage vows are a promise made to God, not to another person. The vow is taken as seriously as a baptism vow. Such a perspective certainly ratchets up the importance of that commitment!

A recent story in a newspaper sounded deliciously Amish. The reporter met with a ninety-two-year old woman and her ninety-four-year-old husband. This elderly couple had been married for almost seventy years. “Whats the secret to your marriage’s longevity?”

The couple looked at each other for a long moment. Then the wife spoke: “Eh, neither of us died.”

Sign up here to be the first to get exclusive news delivered to your inbox monthly. New books, cover reveals, coupon codes, giveaways, first-look excerpts and much more.

One English woman, friendly with many Amish families, told me that she has never seen an Amish woman belittle her husband. “There might be good-natured teasing,” she said, “but never mean-spiritedness, never critical.”

Isn’t that amazing?

I can’t think of a single friend (all wonderful, loving women) who doesn’t have some fun at her husband’s expense…at least a little.

Sarcasm is such a part of our modern culture, applauded and admired, that we assume it’s high-level humor. Yet the very word “sarcasm” comes from the Greek root sarkazien–meaning to tear flesh, to gnash teeth, to speak bitterly.

How does this Amish/English comparison put humor and sarcasm, especially about spouses, in a new light for you?

Sign up here to be the first to get exclusive news delivered to your inbox monthly. New books, cover reveals, coupon codes, giveaways, first-look excerpts and much more.

Years ago, a friend of mine bought her bright and socially uncomfortable son a popular video game–the type of game where he could connect, via computer, to other players without leaving his house. I remember thinking, “Hmmm. Seems like this is the type of boy who needs to be outside more, playing with neighborhood kids, not inside, playing on a computer.” Fast forward ten years. This boy is now a young man, still bright, still socially uncomfortable, and hooked on video games.

The Amish are not necessarily anti-technology, one minister told me. “We have simply chosen not to be controlled by technology.”

When something new reaches into the Amish community, the church leaders might give it a period of probation, weighing out its long-term effects, and each church district comes to its own conclusions.

The church leaders consider where a change could lead the younger generation. Comfort and convenience aren’t the ultimate goals. They try to see beyond the immediate benefits of change to the effects it could have down the road. Savvy consumers, those Amish.

Before accepting or buying a new technology, have you ever considered where it might lead to? How might it affect your children or grandchildren…or you…down the road? Caveat Emptor…let the buyer beware.

Sign up here to be the first to get exclusive news delivered to your inbox monthly. New books, cover reveals, coupon codes, giveaways, first-look excerpts and much more.

It’s been said that the Amish have a love affair with their scooters–a bicycle without pedals. A common sight in Lancaster County is to see men, women and children using these colorful scooters as transportation, thrusting one foot against the road to build up speed, or coasting down a hill with the wind against their face. It’s easy to see they’re having fun.

In the 1920s, as bicycles arrived on the scene, Amish leaders gave the bicycle some serious consideration. “Our fathers and forefathers thought the bicycles with pedals were too modern,” an Amish farmer explained. “They knew it would be too easy to get too far from home.” The home is the heart of Amish life. If a new gizmo poses a threat to that heart, well, say no more. The bicycle was banned.

But then someone engineered a scooter. It wasn’t long before nearly every Lancaster Amish family had one or two. “The way the story goes,” the farmer said, stroking his wiry beard, eyes snapping with good humor, “the bishops got together to talk about banning the scooters. The thing was, they all arrived at the meeting on scooters. So,” he said, throwing his hands up in the air, “they voted against the ban.”

The Amish have a saying: “Once drawn, lines are hard to erase.” Where do you draw the line on what is acceptable for your family and what isn’t? How does recognizing the “line” (or priority) simplify decision making?

“On a Monday morning, if you ask a farmer what he plans to do for the week, he’ll look at you as if you’re crazy,” says David Kline, an Old Order Amish bishop in central Ohio. “He knows that it all depends on the weather.” He laughs. “I like that about farming. God makes us aware of our limitations though weather.”

I’ve been thinking about David’s words as our September temperature skyrockets to 112 degrees. (That’s not a typo!) It’s so hot that stores have closed, events are canceled, the roads are empty, and everyone has been warned to not use much electricity (Sad! No air conditioning). It’s similar, I suppose, to a snow day. A gift of time. An awareness of nature’s power and our own limitations.

When has there been a time in your life when you had to slow down? And how did it benefit you?

Each Friday this summer, I’ve been sharing ten things I’ve learned from the Amish. Today’s the last one in this “series.” Please feel free to chime in with your own insights about the Amish.

Waiting isn’t a verb. It’s an attitude. For the Amish, time is not something to be mastered, but respected. What a contrast to the non-Amish perception of time: there’s never enough of it!

Amish proverb: “Patience is a virtue that carries a lot of wait.”

The Lesson: The Amish can teach us to slow down. They remind us that Christians should look at life from a different perspective because we are part of a different kingdom—one that stretches into eternity.

What about you? What have you learned from the Amish?

Warmly, Suzanne
Editor-in-Chief

Sign up here to be the first to get exclusive news delivered to your inbox monthly. New books, cover reveals, coupon codes, giveaways, first-look excerpts and much more.

Welcome to the Amish Wisdom Reader Bag—reader questions answered by fellow readers, a virtual bulletin board. If anyone in the Amish Wisdom community knows the answer, leave a comment on the post!

Does anyone have an answer for this reader question:

What state do the white topped buggies come from? I know they are not from Ohio nor for Pennsylvania and I don’t think Indiana either. I know there are also yellow buggies, but I don’t know what state they come from either. Do you have any information? —Donna Fiala

Have a question of your own? Shoot an email here, and make sure to put “Reader Bag” in the subject line.

Sign up here to be the first to get exclusive news delivered to your inbox monthly. New books, cover reveals, coupon codes, giveaways, first-look excerpts and much more.

Each Friday this summer, I’m sharing ten things I’ve learned from the Amish. Please feel free to chime in with your own insights!

Honor the Sabbath. An Amish person would never think of working on a Sunday. But it’s more than that—they truly cherish their Sabbath. They spend time on Saturday to make Sunday a smooth and easy day.Amish proverb: “Many things I have tried to grasp and have lost. That which I have placed in God’s hands I still have.”

The Lesson: Strive to make Sunday a different day than other days. A day of rest is important on so many levels—time to worship, time to reflect, time to re-energize. A re-charge your battery day.

How do you make Sunday a day “set apart?”

Warmly, Suzanne
Editor-in-Chief

Sign up here to be the first to get exclusive news delivered to your inbox monthly. New books, cover reveals, coupon codes, giveaways, first-look excerpts and much more.

Each Friday this summer, I’m sharing ten things I’ve learned from the Amish. Please feel free to chime in with your own insights!

Nothing replaces face-to-face visits. Back in the day when telephones emerged on the scene, the Amish bishops made a deliberate decision to keep the telephone out of the house. They didn’t want to interrupt family life. But they drop everything for a face-to-face visit.

Amish proverb: “Use friendship as a drawing account, but don’t forget to make a deposit.”

The Lesson: Nurture relationships by investing face-to-face time in them. No technology can substitute for the real thing.

Thoughts?

Warmly, Suzanne
Editor-in-Chief

Sign up here to be the first to get exclusive news delivered to your inbox monthly. New books, cover reveals, coupon codes, giveaways, first-look excerpts and much more.

WELCOME!

Amish Wisdom is a radio show-turned-blog. Our goal is to connect writers and readers, to educate, entertain, and inspire those who want to know more about the Plain life. So grab a cup of coffee and stay for a while. [Learn more]